Houghton County

LANGUAGE

The Census asks questions about language use at home to locate groups of people who speak a language other than English. Their isolation or integration into a primarily English speaking community can be determined by their ability to speak English proficiently.

Language Spoken at Home, 1990-2000

1990

2000

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Only English

29,809

89.45%

31,565

92.68%

Spanish

120

0.36%

314

0.92%

Other Indo-European*

809

2.43%

663

1.95%

Asian Language**

369

1.11%

334

0.98%

Other

2,217

6.65%

1,182

3.47%

Total Population Age 5+

33,324

100.00%

34,058

100.00%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

67

21.34%

Other Indo-European*

125

18.85%

Asian Language**

222

66.47%

Other Language

293

24.79%

Total

707

2.08%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

13

10.83%

Other Indo-European*

136

16.81%

Asian Language**

241

65.31%

Other Language

368

16.60%

Total

758

2.27%

* "Other Indo-European" excludes English and Spanish. "Indo-European" is not synonymous with "European." French, German, Hindi, and Persian are all classified as Indo-European. Hungarian, on the other hand, is lumped into "Other Language."

** "Asian Language" includes languages indigenous to Asia and Pacific islands areas that are not also Indo-European languages. Chinese, Japanese, Telugu, and Hawaiian are all classified here.

Also note that ability to speak English "very well" is based on the self-assessment of those responding to Census questions, not on a test of language ability.